DES201-2018, Class Storyworld01a: Village Layout Design (Tibet) by 1701635, Charlie
This page will cover the designs for Shokang Village and a Resukhanapan Outpost, two of the first places one visits when making their way to the top of the mountain. By the time players either or both settlements, they should be already choosing which faction to ally themselves to: the Monastic order of the Shambhala, or the Resukhanapan Forces. As such, it is extremely important that these two settlements and its inhabitants reflect the values and personality of either side and where they stand in Tibet’s story. Shokang Village Shokang village is located within a forest at the bottom of the Tibetan Mountains. Due to its proximity to to the river and low altitude, the hard working Shokang villagers were easily able to surround themselves with agriculture to sustain themselves while also benefiting from the nearby access to trade centers. In addition to setting up a mining operation, the efforts of the villagers have made Shokang one of the more well-off villages after the events of the Re-Enchantment. Unfortunately, due to a lack of any military experience in the Shokang community, the village is very vulnerable to attacks, and has become a target of frequent Ro-Lang raids. Shokang was left with no choice but to support and host the Chinese Troop Support to help defend themselves, and thus can’t explicitly align themselves with the Monastic Order of the Shambhala. Shokang Village is surrounded by defensive walls, with the main gate facing slightly away from the mountain and oriented towards the Shokang mines, which makes it a little easier to defend the town from the supernatural forces that come from the mountains. From a distance, players will only see the Shokang walls, a few watchtowers, and an elevated shrine poking out from behind the walls, with the shrine conveying their approximate alignment with the monks, and the walls convey the village’s need for defense. After passing through the Shokang mines, players can enter Shokang village through the main gate, and if they have rescued some NPCs during the mission, the guardsmen will comment on this and warmly welcome them into Shokang. From the entrance, the path splits in two directions: to the right for the Shokang residences, and to the left for the Shokang farms and agricultural area, where most of the Chinese soldiers have set up camp. Local villager Rangdol is located at the intersection of these two paths, and talking to him begins hsi guide of Shokang, explains the current situation in Tibet, and starts the defense mission against Ro-Lang forces. Mission details can be found here 'Residential Area' The main path leading to the residential area also leads straight to the Shrine, pointing towards the mountaintop. From the Shrine’s elevated position from the rest of the village, the player can see most of the areas on the mountain, and most importantly the gates to Shambhala. There players can also find Sambhota, who can fill players in on the importance of the gates, and the role of the Monastic Order of Shambhala. While Sambhota doesn’t quite know yet if she can trust the player character, she will ask they want to ally themselves with the Monastic Order of the Shambhala, or at least asks the player to consider it later if they refuse. Accepting will get Sambhota to give one of the key items to getting to Shambhala. The residential area itself comprises of villager homes, shops & merchant spots and craft stalls. Villager homes are peppered in between the shops so that players will run into the townsfolk while on their way to get items or other valuables. Some villagers can give small sidequests to the players while others offer dialogue that offer Tibetan lore, tips, or simply just flavor text. Villagers don’t talk much about the Monastic Order of the Shambhala as the Chinese Soldiers defending them don’t approve of their resistance to the army’s advances toward Shambhala. Homes and Shops are made of basic and old fashioned materials as the Re-Enchantment made it near impossible to get more refined materials to rebuild villages, but they still try to emulate more modern housing architecture with more geometric designs. One thing all houses share in common is a low doorway that, on the first time using one, activates an animation of the player hitting their head trying to get in. A nearby NPC should tell players a little top late to mind the gap, explaining afterwards that this is used to fend off the Ro-lang, as their stiff joints won’t allow them to bend down and get into homes. In Shokang, players can find a local Blacksmith and Magicksmith working within their own shops. As well as this an Arms Dealer has set up a stall to sell weapons, while in an alleyway between two house a Disenchanter has set up his stall, symbolically out of the view of the shrine and the gates to Shambhala. Crafting Stalls are unmanned and are free public use. 'Agricultural Area' Shokang takes great pride in their agricultural developments, as in this day and age it’s extremely important for villages to be self sufficient, lest they remain fiercely dependant on the Silk Road trade. Due to this, Shokang village is quite often raided by Ro-Lang and other dark forces, and during missions that require the player to defend the town from attacks, the farms are usually the most vulnerable and require the most defending. Farms and farmers can be found here, some giving small missions and most will also usually sell basic food items. Talking to the farmers details the tough times the people of Tibet have been through and how much hard work it took to organize this village and how they would be done for if it weren't for the renewed Silk Road trade; Asking about the presence of the Chinese Soldiers will also give more inisght on Shokang's predicament and how the supernatural and dark forces have been attacking all the other Tibetan settlements. Here, the player can also find Chinese Army camps. Talking to the soldiers fills the player in on the army’s role in Tibet and sets up the character of their prideful military leader. Most of their settlements constitute of large tents and campfires, and are surrounded by their military vehicles such as trucks and helicopters, though some seem to have been severely damaged and nearby soldier NPCs will make comments about the dangers of the new supernatural forces and how they’re here to put an end to it. Resukhanapan Outpost On their way towards the mountains from Shokang village, players will meet the Resukhanapan Initiator, who has taken an interest in the player character after observing their feats during the Ro-Lang raid in Shokang. If the player makes it out of the Shokang mines without rescuing anyone, the Initiator will comment on their tenacity and their will to survive, surpassing that of the other “weaklings” that come to Tibet. The Initiator will then ask the player if he wants to come join the Resukhanapan Forces or at least just visit their camp for a while. Should the player accept, the Initiator will bring them towards the Resukhanapan Camp hidden behind a clump of boulders and tropical foliage. The camp has a very cavernous-like layout and aesthetic, using the boulders as walls and the foliage as both a roof and camouflage, and the only source of lighting coming from torches and the slight openings from the leafy roof. The entrance leads to the center room, where the player can find the Initiator and the quest giver NPC Shakabpa, a Resukhanapan follower with a snake like body that sticks out of the ground and who appears in all other Resukhanapan Camps. Interactions with NPC in the outpost is limited until the player talks to the Initiator and accepts to join his forces. Refusing his offer at any time will get the player kicked out of the camp and attacked by a group of Resukhanapan Followers. Going to the left leads to the armory hall, where the dark army soldiers hang out and train. To the right of the center room is the cafeteria and prison room. 'Armory Hall' Longest area in the outpost. In the armory hall, players can find Resukhanapan Follower NPCs, both human and demonic, who can detail the story role of the dark army in Tibet, while others can be found training for combat and will give fighting tips when talked to. Weapons and armor can be found scattered across the room, and a lot of the soldiers are quarreling between each other. The hall is also where the traders, weapon dealers and crafting stalls can be found. Their stalls are located in about the same area and the merchants seem to be locked in fierce competition with one another, using extravagant yet primitive signs to gain attention. As detailed in the sound design article, different types of followers are accompanied by varying types of music tracks, so in this area moving from NPC to NPC will subtly change the ambiance, reflecting the busy and chaotic atmosphere of the Resukhanapan Camp. 'Cafeteria and Prison' The space to the right of the center room is split into two main sections: the cafeteria and the "temporary" prison. The two rooms are seperated from side to side, but the difference in quality between the areas is highly contrasting, with the prison cells looking a lot more wild and cavernous than the cafeteria, which has more wooden structures and furniture. Talking to a Resukhanapan Chef will reveal that the rooms are connected because it's both easier to feed the prisonners this way, and if they ever run out of food they can just eat them instead. The dining area is fairly chaotic, consisting only of wooden tables with very crude and tribalistic decorations. Most of the soldiers here are too busy eating to talk to players, though some will comment on how horrible the food is but will add that they at least have large quantities of it. Players can talk to the chefs to get more insight on the general attitude of the Resukhanapan army, and can also buy some of the cheapest food items in Tibet. On the other side of the room, players can visit the prison halls, with the Resukhanapan Guard even offering a small guide of the place. The Guard seems to treat the place more like a zoo and will mention how she's considering charging for visits. The prisonners consits mainly of Tibetan Monks and the newly awoken supernatural and mythical creatures. Here the guard can give some details about the character type of the prisonners, offering tips on how to deal with certain creatures and saying where they stand within the tibetan Conflict.